[Columbia, SC] - Orchid blooms from around the world will greet visitors to Riverbanks Botanical Garden, February 9-11, during the 2nd annual Orchids on the Riverbanks Festival. Riverbanks, the South Carolina Orchid Society and the Ikebana International Chapter 182 have teamed up to produce an incredible exhibition of orchid plants perfectly timed for Valentine’s weekend.

“Orchids are so captivating that anyone from the novice gardener to someone with little interest in gardening can enjoy walking around the exhibition and admiring the orchids,” said Andy Cabe, curator of horticulture at Riverbanks Botanical Garden. “Orchids are less like plants and more like works of art.”

A new participant in this year’s Orchids on the Riverbanks Festival is the Ikebana International Chapter. Members of the ikebana chapter will be at the exhibition to showcase the Japanese art of flower arranging. Typically, in western countries flowers are arranged in decorative forms based on color, quantity of blooms and beauty of the arrangement. Ikebana arrangements emphasize a sense of harmony focusing on asymmetrical form and the use of empty space as essential elements. These unusual forms of art use branches, leaves, flowers, grasses and fruit. An educational seminar will be offered on Friday afternoon for those individuals who would like to learn more about ikebana floral arrangements.

Riverbanks Botanical Garden is home to a few members of the orchid family. At the Garden, visitors will see Bletilla, Calanthe, Cymbidium and Spiranthes, as well as a few others. Bletilla, one of the most typical “orchid looking” flowers, is found outdoors and is one of the easiest to grow in the Midlands. In addition to the ones grown in the Botanical Garden, there are native orchids such as the Cranefly orchid that can be seen blooming on the trails that go down to the Saluda River.

The exhibition opens at 1pm on Friday, February 9, and runs through the weekend. Participants can attend educational seminars covering a variety of orchid related topics. Orchid species specialists from around the region will be on hand to answer questions about growing orchids in South Carolina’s climate. In addition, orchid vendors from throughout the Carolinas will offer live plants for purchase.

Closed judging will be held during the morning of Friday, February 9, before the show opens to the public later that afternoon. Orchids will be judged by two methods; ribbon judging, in which judging teams do not have to be certified by the American Orchid Society (AOS), will be followed by AOS accredited judging, which awards plants that are recognized as breaking precedence for their inflorescence, size, fullness, color and presentation. Scoring is based on a 100-point scale with the highest possible prize being a First Class Certificate, of which only a dozen are awarded worldwide annually.

Admission to the 2nd annual Orchids on the Riverbanks Festival is free with paid admission to Riverbanks Botanical Garden. To learn more about orchids, visit the American Orchid Society at www.aos.org.